What the Toronto Raptors are saying about all those trades by the Cleveland Cavaliers

SportsPulse: USA TODAY Sports' Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt break down the trade that sent Isaiah Thomas from the Cavaliers to the Lakers and what it means for both teams and LeBron James' future.
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Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan battles for a ball with Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson during their game at Air Canada Centre on Jan. 11, 2018.(Photo: Nick Turchiaro, USA TODAY Sports)

Notables such as Isaiah Thomas, Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose were among those dealt from the Cavaliers, while the likes of George Hill, Rodney Hood and Jordan Clarkson were brought in to help LeBron James and Co. make a push toward another NBA championship.

One of the Cavaliers' primary Eastern Conference competitors, the Toronto Raptors, are directly impacted by Cleveland's trade deadline activity. There's a distinct possibility the two teams could meet up in the playoffs, as they have the past two seasons — both times ending with Toronto being eliminated.

The Raptors, who are currently 6.5 games ahead of the Cavaliers in the standings, largely dismissed all the trade deadline moves. They were naturally attentive to everything that unfolded, but beyond that there was a generally similar tone about the refurbished roster from Raptors players.

"I really don't care. Honestly, you know me: I just worry about my team. Worry about us, what we've got to do to continue to get better. We can't really focus or worry about what everybody else is doing."

Jakob Poeltl, Center

"I was a little surprised that they made that many trades, but I guess they're not doing too well right now. They're in a little bit of a slump, so they wanted to change something. I think they got some quality players out of those trades. We'll see how they work together."

Fred VanVleet, Point Guard

"Obviously as a fan of the game, I woke up from my pregame nap and saw the list of everything that was going on. It's cool to track. You know moves are going to happen, but when you see them it never gets old. We'll wait and see how it works out for them.

"It's tough (to build chemistry midseason). Luckily that's their problem, and not ours. They've got LeBron still, and I've always said winning kind of solves everything. You win a couple games in a row, and chemistry is always good when you're winning. Losing shows your flaws. I hope no one is counting them out by any stretch. We'll see over time what happens."

Jonas Valanciunas, Center

"They made a lot of moves, but that's their business. They're not doing so well. They're not getting what they were expecting, so they made moves. That's why we have trades and stuff like that."